Uncertainties

How much nerve recovery can I expect?

The strangulation of the nerve roots as a result of stenosis can lead to some nerve damage. This may have led to some altered sensation, pins-and-needles or weakness in the legs before you surgery. Quite a lot of this damage will recover but this can take anything from a few weeks to a couple of years. The rate of recovery and, indeed, the amount of recovery, is unpredictable. The exercises that you will work on with your physiotherapist and at home will certainly help. Persevere with these but be prepared for the possibility that recovery may take some time. You may find you won't notice any dramatic change until somebody who hasn't seen you for a while remarks on how much more mobile you have become.

Will my back pain symptoms get better?

Stenosis usually results from wear and tear changes in the spine and these can be a cause of ongoing or later symptoms of back pain. Exercising appropriately, keeping your back strong and keeping your weight down all help to reduce the risk of later back pain.
If there are structural or mechanical problems affecting your spine, which may have led to the stenosis but also be causing back pain, Mr Boeree may recommend additional or alternative procedures to spinal decompression so that these problems can also be addressed.

Is the stenosis likely to recur?

A further stenosis of the central spinal canal is very unlikely at the same level. However, the wear and tear changes in the spine may advance as time goes on. Occasionally this can result in narrowing of the space for the nerves as they leave the spine (foraminal stenosis) or in another stenosis at a different level.

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